against the dying of the light
by dracarysdaenerys
Summary: Sansa is scared. She runs.


She ran from the city. Never in her life, she would've expected to do this, but right now, she was doing it. She ran from her captors. She ran from the city where all of her nightmares came true. She ran from the city she had once dreamed of going.

Where she would go, she did not know yet. She could not go home, for the Boltons still had it. She didn't know who was on her side, but she knew a particular place she would find a relative peace. The only problem was, it was on the other side of the realm and it would take her weeks to get there. Not only that, going there meant she had to go through the lands the Boltons ruled and she would probably be recognized, as she grew up there. Nonetheless, she had a plan. Once she was far enough from the city, she would find a market where she would buy more clothes and a hair dye. She was already wearing servant's clothes, but she only had one dress from her maid. Her red hair was also quite distinguishable, and she had to paint it. After she would find that, she would buy a horse somewhere with the multitude of coins she had stolen from the city. With her horse, she would go north, where she would figure out where to go.

Sansa had a plan, all she needed was the strength to do it. It was that she had no other choice that she managed to do it. With black hair and a saddlebag full of clothes, she rode North. She rode and she rode, through the Riverlands, past the Inn where Lady was executed and over the Kingsroad to the North.

She took little risks and rode as fast as she could without looking peculiar. She knew many people were looking for her, but she didn't have her red hair anymore, and she used a fake name, so she was relatively safe. She was still recognizable in her face, but not many nobles had paid attention to her and their soldiers didn't know more than her name and her hair colour. As far as she was aware, at least.

Sansa had been travelling for over a month when she finally saw the beginning of the Neck. Two weeks later she was through. It had been a difficult journey since she had little knowledge of plants around and there were almost no villages in the Neck, so she couldn't buy food. She tried to hunt, but she never used any sort of weapon before and with no one around to teach her, she had a hard time getting food. She survived, though, and in the next village, she bought enough food for days.

She travelled towards the west because she wanted to avoid the Boltons, who held Winterfell and the Dreadfort, to the east. She travelled through the Wolfswood and the Northern Mountains to end up in Castle Black. She came close to being discovered once or twice when she arrived in a village she had seen before, when she had travelled to Barrowton with her father and Arya once, years ago.

Sansa knew the mountain clans knew she was there, but she didn't see any until she visited one of the villages. This specific village was one of the Flints'. They were very loyal to the Starks, they always had been and Sansa knew she could be herself there. After she met the Flints, she stopped at more villages in the mountains, and the Flints even send a guide with her. It was a younger grandson of The Flint, and he was a bit older than she was. He was very nice and respectful to her and she enjoyed his company, as she had been travelling alone for over two and a half months. He helped her through the mountains and taught her about different plants, which ones to avoid and which ones were vital for surviving. He hunted for them and showed her how to skin the prey. She learned a lot of vital skills during her time in the mountains. It took her three weeks to get through the mountains and another week to get to Castle Black.

It was a risk to go to Castle Black, she knew that. She didn't even know whether or not Jon was in the castle or beyond the Wall. She knew she should've thought this out, but she decided to go to Mole's Town first. There, she could gather information. Gathering information on Jon turned out to be easier than she had prepared for. It seemed Jon was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and when she heard it, she spread her eyes wide open. Jon was not only in the castle, but he was also the leader of it. She couldn't be happier.

She had had to leave her horse behind before the mountains, where she traded her horse for a donkey, more fit to the mountainsides, but she had gotten a new one from the Nolleys, who lived closest to the Gift. She jumped on her new horse and she rode towards the castle, which as it turned out, wasn't that much. She couldn't imagine how there could ever have lived so many men as the legends said. She knew she didn't look, act or think the same, but she knew that Jon would recognize her. She just hoped Jon would not deny her entry. She just hoped he would be able to forgive her for her foolishness as a girl. She just hoped he cared for her.

She entered the castle. The guards didn't recognize her, but let her through anyway after she insisted on seeing the commander. She dismounted from her horse and turned around. There, on the balcony, was Jon. Her brother. He slowly walked down the stairs, not taking his eyes off her. The men around them simply watched. He stepped on the ground and spread his arms. She could cry of happiness right there, but she didn't. Instead, she ran towards her brother. She was finally safe.


End file.
